Method of revivifying or restoring permutit.



UNITED sransrarur OFFICE.

GUSTAVSCHWEIKERT, OF-VIENN'A, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

METHOD OF REVIVIFYING 0R RESTORING PERMUTIT.

1,054,460. No Drawing.

'- boilers-as for bleach-works, dye-works laundries, etc. As ermutit after a short use loses its oWer, it as to be revivified or restored, ue to the fact that the permutit (sodium aluminum silicate) reacts with the alkaline earth metal compounds in the wa ter to form'double silicates of the alkaline earth metals and aluminum and in order to revivify the used permutit, it is necessary to againsubstitue alkali metal forthe alkaline earth meta-ls so taken up. On using the methods hitherto known for revivifying or restoring permutit a furtherrevivifying or restoring was necessary after a rather short use. The revivifying or restoring method used till now. required for example, six revivifyings per Week, and with 300 kg. permut-it only. 20 ohm. of water of 20 German hardness could be softened when a fresh revivifying or restoring was necessary.

Whenever attempts were made to revivify or restore permutit with warm brine, the results were unsatisfactory because the Warm brine was poured nto the cold permutit. The brine cooled. to such a-degree in passing through the'upper layers of permutit, that the lower layers of permutit were, not revivified or restored as the requisite temperature for ,the reaction-between the'sodium chlorid and the alkaline earth silicate was not reached throughout the mass of material. I

According to the present invention the whole permutit mass-during revivifying or restoring is kept at the requisite reaction tern perature, the hot brine being added in such quantities that all the permutit. granules are covered with it and left in close contact therewith for a considerable time.

According to' the present discovery a thorough retdvification or restoration of the pemutit mass is achieved and the i'evivified or restored permutit will remain active for Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed November 15, 1912. Serial No. 731,597.

Patented Feb. 25, 1 91 3.

several days. \Vith the revivified or restored permutit (30 ohm. of water of 20 German hardness will be softened by 300 kg. of 'iermutit, which is treble the quantity of water softened by using permutit revivified or restored by the. hitherto known methods. Thus. the working costs of the revivitying or restoring-process are reduced to one third of that required by the processes previously employed.

In carrying out. the present invention the permutit, which has become no longer active for softening Water hylong use is heated throughout its mass to -100 This can be achicved either by passing large quantities of hot water through the vessel containing permutit, by blowing in live steam, by a steam jacket or by any other method. A solution of salt boilin or hcated'to about 90 Oiis then passed through the permutit so that the salt comes inicontact with all the permutit granules, and the permulit is revivified by reaction between the calcium aluminum silicate and the sodium chlorid, producing sodium aluminum silicate (permutit). and the alkaline earth metal is coin vcrted into a soluble salt. This is most simply accomplished by covering the vessel containing the brine and permutit and on stirring the permutit mass a uniform and tho!- ough rcvivification or restoration is ob tained.

It is of course obvious that other materials besides sodium chlorid may be used in making the brine, or solution used for re acting on the spent permutit, but these other materials are alike in these respects, that they are all salts of an alkali metal and an acid, the alkaline earth metal salt of i which. is readily soluble.

1. A process of revivifying permutit which comprises heating the entire mass of permutit to a temperature not lower than approximately 70 (1, and then treating the mass with a solution of an alkali metal chlorid at approximately the same temperaturc.

2. A process of revivifying permutit which comprises heating the entire mass of permutit to 90 to 100 0., and then treating the mass with a solution of an alkali metal chlorid at upproxin'mtoly the same temporal ure.

3. A process oi" revivilying, permulit which comprises heating the entire mass of permutit to a temperature not lower than approximately 70 C., and thenbringing all portions ofthe mass of permutit into contact with a solution of an alkali inetal-chlorid atapproximately the same temperature;

4. A process of revivifying permntit which comprises heating theentire mass of pernnit-it .to a temperature'not lower than approximatelv 7 0 (3., and the-ntreating the mass with a solution of an alkali metal chlorid-at approximately the same tempera-- ture, allowing thesolution to remain in contact with the perinutit until the latter is rerivified. I

.5. A process of retvivigtying perinutit which comprises heating the entire mass of perinntit to a temperature not lower than approximately 70 C., and then treating the mass with a solution of sodium clilorid at approximately the same temperature.

6. A process of revivifying spent permutit which comprises treating the latter, in a heated condition with hot brine.

T. A process of revivifying spent permutit which com rises treating the latter, in a heated con ition with a heated solution of an alkali metal salt of an acid, the alkaline earth metal salt of which is readily soluble.

In testimonv whereof I aflix my signa ture in presence of two witnesses.

. GUSTAV SCHWEIKERT. Witnesses Josnr BAUER, AUGUST F'UGGER. 

